Niš scenario in Belgrade: Both students and progressives scheduled rallies for Vidovdan

Students for days invite citizens to Belgrade on June 28, heralding a rally they hope will overcome i March 15, when the largest protest in the history of Serbia took place. However, it seems that they will not be alone in the capital that day - according to the announcements of government officials, their supporters will also take to the streets of Belgrade on Vidovdan. 

As the Vice President of the National Assembly, Marina Raguš, told the Tanjug agency, "the Vidovdan rally will send a constructive message related to the Movement for the People and the State, which should present Serbia in the best possible way as a country that will have economic growth, that will improve the standard of citizens, that will have strong institutions and guarantee everyone a life that is worthy of man in the 21st century." 

"Blic" writes that both meetings will be held in Belgrade. 

"Citizens should not worry and should not respond and allow anyone to manipulate them, everyone has the right to political opinion and political messages, everything should take place without aggression and incidents, and the state has the capacity to organize and guarantee it both for Belgrade and for the whole of Serbia," Raguš said.

And the Minister for Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue, Demo Beriša, confirmed that the Movement for the People and the State will be presented again in Belgrade on June 28. 

"We will not be close, there will be no meeting of that kind. Conflicts will not be allowed, bloodshed between citizens will not be allowed. The state will not allow that," said Berisha.

Nis scenario in Belgrade?

The announced meeting of the Movement for the People and the State in Belgrade on June 28 will be the second such meeting in the capital of Serbia - previously, from April 11 to 13, the so-called National Assembly was held on the plateau in front of the National Assembly. Then the center of Belgrade was completely closed for three days, and white tents sprung up in front of the parliament. Two months later, they are still there, and Nikola Pašić Square is completely impassable for traffic. 

A replay of the National Assembly was then held in Nis from May 16 to 18. Although a three-day gathering was also announced in Niš, only the central event on May 17, where the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, spoke, gathered a significant number of supporters. 

While supporters of the President of Serbia and his newly formed movement gathered in that city, and the students organized their own rally. That May 17 eventually passed without any incidents, despite pro-regime television and tabloids announcing "violence", "bloodshed by the blockaders" and the like for weeks. 

We are seeing such a scenario again - ever since the new student protest was announced, the tabloids have been writing about the alleged planned violence. In addition, "students who want to learn" in Pioneer Park hold press conferences and talk about how the students in the Vidovdan blockade are planning to attack them.

On Monday (June 16), a special part of the "Informer" television program is devoted to the analysis and prediction of the "bloodshed" that, according to "Informer" guests, the students are preparing for June 28. Although SNS officials, at least for now, say that the state will ensure the safe holding of both gatherings.

Everything indicates that the tabloids will continue with the same forecasts and intimidation in the coming days, especially since now a gathering of progressives has been announced for Vidovdan.